Casinos & Gambling

Casino History - Definition

Started purely as a recreation, gambling at lavish land based casinos (or gambling in general) has become the lifestyle of rich and famous. Nonetheless some notorious also lay hand on this pastime activity. Some take casinos and gambling purely as a vacation pursuit, others are very much obsessive in this activity, banned in some places and acclaimed in some others.

Keeping pace with the technology of the billion dollar gaming industry some land casinos have even merged in a big way to lure web traffic and hence we witness millions of new online casinos a.k.a. virtual or internet casinos.

Literally a "casino" is a building, which will generally host hotels, restaurants, retail shopping and other vacation attractions, that accommodates certain types of gambling activities along with the gambling facilities themselves.

Etymologically casino meant a small villa. Some casinos also host live entertainment events, such as concerts and sporting events, especially boxing to keep the heat on.

Realistically speaking casino means slot machines, poker tables, blackjack, craps and roulette! A place to gamble at! Online casinos stretch this just a bit, but its all still gambling.

General Casino Rules

Casino Security

Gambling Age: In major parts of the world, minors (players under 18, 20 or 21 of age, country specific) are banned from accessing casinos. View the gambling age chart here. It's getting a little dated and will be updated soon.

Gamblers play on slot machines or other games of chance (craps, roulette, baccarat etc.). Some games are based on skills of gambling such as poker. Game rules are determined mathematically to ensure the house retains an advantage over the players. This advantage is called the edge. Payout is the percentage given to players. Obviously some casino games have a better chance of winning (or losing) than others. Check this page for a list of different types of casino games along with guides and rules how to play them.

As bulk real cash is exchanged in casinos, all security measures are taken to ward off the cowmen and sinister.

Today security consists of a control room with hundreds if not thousands of surveilence cameras located throughout the property operated by highly trained individuals who attempt to locate cheating and stealing by both players and employees.

Casino Companies Around the World

As the living standard goes on rising, top executives, celebrities and the elite are equating gambling with touring, adventure sports, nightclubs. The casinos across the globe have become as a major attraction to fun seeking people. Governments have also realized the growing popularity of casinos in entertainment industry. Moreover, the casinos have become the major centers for revenue collection.

World Casino is not limited only to gambling, the patrons fill some frill to keep up their popularity. Some of them specialize in providing high class dining and other recreational facilities. Live dance programs are also performed. With an increasing number of casinos upcoming in all parts of the globe every day a competition to provide the best in entertainment has become a need of the hour. Gaming events with world level players of poker and blackjack provide a definitive experience of amusement. Casino enthusiasts over the world flock together at particular casinos where such tournaments are organized.

World Casino Destinations

Las Vegas - the original city of dreams, or sin city (depending on your POV). Walk along the streets and you will find bars and casinos. The city intoxicates people with the lights, glamor and free drinks. There are many types of gambling for avid gamblers in Las Vegas including slot machines and electronic versions of poker, blackjack and roulette. Las Vegas offers the most serious casino experience - there are always temptations at your feet and if you have money you have to decide whether you choose to double your money or lose it all, in the name of fun. Casinos in Las Vegas turn out over one billion dollar profit every year.
Macau could best be described as the rival to Las Vegas in Asia. Macau leads the casino competition in Far East Asia. You can take part in casinos and/or racinos (horse race and dog race). Macau alone over 30 casinos. You will also find the architecture and lights of Macao's casino buildings breathtaking, or jaw dropping, as the saying goes. There are other large towns in the U.S. that attract a lot of attention like Atlantic City casinos.

Central America harbors many casinos - some legal and some illegal. There are as many people interested in moneymaking as there are those interested in pure fun. Betting and gambling are prevalent in in this region. In Central America, Costa Rica is a city poised for interactive gambling. Parallel to horse race Costa Rica maintains in position in leading gambling zone. The city is preparing itself in a grand way to gather attorneys, investors, analysts, legislators, regulators, marketing firms, advertisers, sportsbook operators, payment processors, as well as technological and software firms to boost the game. Panama also host casinos with a Las Vegas flair and are interested in giving a satisfying casino experience to all who visit. The two major casino complexes of the city, Alberto Btesh and Moises Hasky pose as those of modern Las Vegas.

Tourists frequent the casinos Far East Asian countries. These include casinos in countries of Taiwan, Japan, North and South Korea, eastern parts of China, Mongolia and Vietnam. And as mentioned above however, Macau is the leading country for gaming action in all of Asia.

Japan is going to be next major casino destination in this region. You can easily get a peak of illegal gambling in Japan. Kazakhstan tops the charts for the most number of casinos Central Asian countries, with 26 casinos and 190 slots.

Major sports casinos in other parts of Asia and neighboring countries are concentrated in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Kazakhstan and Russia.

In Africa 29 countries have 44 casinos and three of them have pari-mutiel (casinos and horse race) facilities in them. This continent has 27230 slots in all casinos combined. African wild life attracts major tourists from around the globe and allures them to casinos. Tourism is a big part of Africa's economy and tourists like to gamble. Native casino lovers are very few due to poverty and cash crunch. Major casino turn over in Africa occurs in Egypt.

Casinos in Africa are on a new high due to slow but steady development in the continent and governmental activities to attract tourists. It has recently passed the first-ever-national gambling industry code of conduct, which makes it equal with the casinos centers of the world.

The country of Australia has more casinos than any other country in the continent of Oceania. Australia has 16 casinos and 18464 slots. Star cruises of Australia are major casino attractions than the in land hotels, restaurants and bars. It's a memorable experience to spend a couple of weeks in the cruise filled with world-class chill and frill. Whether it pinches your pocket or you make a fortune, it is enjoyable. Australian cruises have a total capacity of 2053 passengers making to various parts of the worlds, and all of them have casino facility. The country is famous for fun gambling than serious gambling. Australia witnesses more luxury and style than the breathtaking gambling.

France is the leading casino country in Europe. The country is not only famous for art, culture and fashion also it displays elegance of casinos. Germany's Casinos comes next. All European countries have casinos that give a rewarding experience like that of Las Vegas or Costa Rica. Cruise casinos are also very much common in Europe like those in Australia.

Middle East is famous for serious gambling coupled with the best security. Middle East casinos are famous for the complete experience - they have race courses, sports casinos, bulk turnovers and frequent betting.

Online Gambling

Online gambling has gone through its ups and downs in recent years - under attack it seems from many governments worried about losing the revenue from taxes. However online casinos continue to prosper and grow in popularity. When it comes to online casinos security is usually great. Stick to well-known "white hat" brands such as bwin.com and you can trust that your money is safe. Make sure to check out our complete directory of online casinos listed in order of the brand we trust.

WORLD CASINO NEWS

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It is your responsibility to check with your local authorities and to know your local laws before gambling online. World Casino Directory cannot be held responsible for your activities once leaving our website.

The SAFE Ports Act passed by the U.S. congress is affecting certain payment processors, and as a result, online casinos orpoker rooms listed with a no USA banner are not currently accepting U.S. players for real money deposits.U.S. online gambling ban info